Does anyone have information on Century shaving brushes?

[cernel_joson]

Occasionally I see vintage Century brand brushes for sale, but there aren't nearly as many as other defunct U.S. brands like Rubberset or Ever Ready. Does anyone know anything about Century? Thanks!

Perhaps this is for another thread, but what happened to all of these U.S. manufacturers?

 

[Brownbear]

I've gotten a couple off Ebay, their bakelite handles are beautifully made - deep marbled colors with unusual and interesting shapes.

I'd love to see a history of the brush manufacturers as well.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I have one I got at a local flea market to restore. Knot was well used and still in "ok" shape. The handle is quite small, but solid bakelite, rather than hollow and filled with crap (like eveready's tend to be). So my guess is they were a pretty good manufacturer.

 

[dalecooper51]

My father has been using one for the past 40 years or so. I really like the shape of the handle and it has a mixed badger and boar knot. Was going to restore it for father's day, but got him a Vulfix 404 mixed badger and boar to replace it. The handle on his is only slightly smaller than the Vulfix. I'm sure the Century will make its way into to his travel kit. I should see him tomorrow and Ill see if I can snap a pic of it for you.

 

[brianw]

Love the century... before and after

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View attachment 105897

 

[Brownbear]

Here is a picture of the the Centurys I have. I love the handles the company put out. Whether I have just stumbled across the unique and attractive ones or the company just put out a high percentage of brushes with those characteristics I don't know, but the ones I have are really pretty and just a bit different than the rest....

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All three Centurys I have acquired have had badger fan knots. The badger is different than the contemporary knots I have. It is brown overall, and is a very fine, very soft texture. I don't know if the brown color is from age, these are pretty old brushes, or if they used a different species or variety of badger way back when. But for guys who like soft knots, this is the ticket. These knots are so soft you actually can't feel the brush, only the lather going on your face.

Unfortunately I like a pretty stiff brush and enjoy the stimulation of an exfoliating face lather, so these brushes create a conundrum for me. To restore or not to restore, that is the question. The facetted green handle has a 22mm pure, black knot from TGN. I rebuilt this for my son, who doesn't shave yet but has been drawn into the vintage shaving world because he likes the gadgets. I let him pick any handle I had, and damned if he didn't pick one of the prettiest handles of the lot. This handle looks purple in transmitted light, and green in reflected light. It is marbled and just lovely, the picture doesn't do them justice. So I put this black knot in and it is a fantastic brush, although a little scritchy for most I think. It was an easy decision because the original knot was mildewed and scraggly. Not so with the other two.

The brown catalin handle has a lovely shape. The knot is in good condition and, since I have a dozen or so brushes with knots more to my liking, I will probably leave it in original condition. The lucite handle has a great, soft but floppy, knot, but the lucite has been affected by the glue and has a patchy, unattractive socket showing through. I want another smallish brush so I think I'll drop a TGN knot into this one after cleaning the hole and lining it with graphite filled epoxy to make a neat knothole. Question is, do I want to drop an overstuffed finest, or a super fan. I'm leaning toward the super, but I will put a fan knot in it regardless.

Anyway, these Century brushes are lovely and it would be interesting to know more about their history.

 

[Schwert]

Those really are unique and great looking old Centuries.

 

[JJMontague]

The brown catalin handle has a lovely shape. The knot is in good condition and, since I have a dozen or so brushes with knots more to my liking, I will probably leave it in original condition. The lucite handle has a great, soft but floppy, knot, but the lucite has been affected by the glue and has a patchy, unattractive socket showing through. I want another smallish brush so I think I'll drop a TGN knot into this one after cleaning the hole and lining it with graphite filled epoxy to make a neat knothole. Question is, do I want to drop an overstuffed finest, or a super fan. I'm leaning toward the super, but I will put a fan knot in it regardless.

Anyway, these Century brushes are lovely and it would be interesting to know more about their history.

Pardon my resurrecting this old thread, but as far as I'm aware, Tony (at TGN) doesn't offer an overstuffed AND fan shaped brush. I wish he did! The only fan-shaped knots I see him offering are finest and super knots, and none are listed as extra-stuffed. Was this not always the case?

 

[Brownbear]

Pardon my resurrecting this old thread, but as far as I'm aware, Tony (at TGN) doesn't offer an overstuffed AND fan shaped brush. I wish he did! The only fan-shaped knots I see him offering are finest and super knots, and none are listed as extra-stuffed. Was this not always the case?

Yes, I think you are correct. I like a firm knot with good spine, and all the fan's I have are on the soft side. But lately my attitude has been changing as I've brought out some I once thought too soft and reassessed them. The black badger is still my favorite but I've really been enjoying the softer silvertips and fans even though they are not as stiff. I've come to decide that density is over sold on its own. A less dense brush seems to aerate the soap and produce a moist lather with good body a bit easier. The black badger is a great combination of good spine and open and airy for lathering, but it is too scritchy for some. I'd still like the fan knots to be a bit stiffer though and I'd jump on a fan black badger.

 

[Gibbs]

Were Century ever made that were expensive? I saw one on ebay for $279.00 there abouts.. I emailed him and he said it sold new for $289.00 new in the 1980's, and on the ebay site he states it sold for 295.00 new. I asked him what the handle was made of, thinking that only Ivory might be this high for a brush in the 1980's, and he did not know what the handle material was made of. I think he's full of beans.